We have a full slate of hockey action on Thursday night with 11 NHL games on the docket.
Every team has now played at least three games, and the New Jersey Devils finally play the league’s final home opener on Thursday night.
My best bets for Thursday night are targeting
Let’s get right into the best bets – and their odds at the best betting sites – for Thursday, Oct. 16.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski put together a great season last year as a Norris Trophy finalist. The blueliner had 298 shots and 82 points in 81 games, and he’s off to a blazing start this year.
Werenski has fired 19 shots on net through three games, with five in the opener and seven in each of the last two contests. More importantly, the defenseman had double-digit shot attempts in each game with 12, 14, and 13 thus far.
The Avalanche have already allowed defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Rasmus Dahlin to have five and four shots on goal, respectively, and there’s no reason to think Werenski will slow down at home.
The Seattle Kraken have had a strong start to the season with wins over the Ducks and Golden Knights before an overtime loss in Montreal’s home opener. They now had a day off to get ready for this matchup against the Senators tonight.
Meanwhile, Ottawa was in Buffalo last night, where the Senators allowed eight goals on 26 shots in an 8-4 loss. It will be Linus Ullmark in net tonight, but the Senators have now been outscored 18-7 in three straight losses after their comeback 5-4 win in Tampa Bay to open the year.
The Sens are also without captain Brady Tkachuk due to a wrist injury that may require surgery.
The Kraken are playing better hockey, more rested, and Joey Daccord has a .918 save percentage this season. I’ll take them as dogs against a tired Senators team.
At first blush, this line makes sense. The Panthers have won back-to-back Cups while the Devils have struggled to make it out of the first round.
But these aren’t those teams.
The Panthers are without Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Dmitry Kulikov, and they’re coming off a 4-1 loss in Detroit last night. That was Florida’s second straight road loss after a 5-2 defeat in Philadelphia’s home opener.
This is New Jersey’s home opener on Thursday night after a 2-1-0 road trip to start the season. The Devils have had two days off to get home and ready for a fatigued Florida squad.
The Devils should be much bigger favorites given the situation.
Andrew Mangiapane had a down season last year in Washington, but he’s landed on his feet in Edmonton with a chance to play on the top line with Connor McDavid.
Mangiapane hasn’t let that opportunity pass him by, picking up a point in each of his first three games with his new club.
The Oilers are pretty big favorites on Thursday night with a high total. The Islanders have allowed 13 goals through three games, with four, four, and five goals scored by the Penguins, Capitals, and Jets. Edmonton should be able to match that.
This is essentially a bet on the top line scoring a goal or two. McDavid is over -500 to record a point, and -120 to get two, so I’ll take his winger at even money.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Ryan is a sports betting writer at Sports Illustrated. He has experience working for NHL.com, NBC Sports, Covers, and more throughout his decade in the industry. As a Philadelphia native, he understands the passion and pain that come with being a sports fan.
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